Steel reinforced concrete structures, such as bridge decks and parking garages, have generally performed well. But a dramatic increase in the use of road salt, combined with an increase in coastal construction, has resulted in a wide spread deterioration problem caused by corrosion of the reinforcing steel within the concrete.
Valve metal electrodes as typified by expanded titanium mesh have recently gained wide acceptance for cathodic protection of reinforcing steel in concrete. Such electrodes, some of which have been detailed in PCT Published Application No. 86/06759 can readily cover broad surfaces. They may be rolled out on such a broad surface as a flat bridge deck or parking deck or bridge substructure. Such coverage has lead to the wide acceptance of this type of cathodic protection system. However, experience has shown that there is still need not only to efficiently install such cathodic protection systems, but also to efficiently and economically operate such systems once installed.